Robitaille to retire from Sabres broadcast following 2013-14 season

by jmaloni

Press release

Thu, Oct 3rd 2013 06:35 pm

Brad
May joins Sabres broadcast team as analyst and commentator

The
Buffalo Sabres today announced veteran broadcaster Mike Robitaille, who has been a mainstay on Sabres broadcasts for
more than three decades, will retire following the 2013-14 season. The team
also announced the addition of former Sabres winger Brad May to the Sabres broadcast team, beginning this season, as
an analyst and commentator. May will join the broadcast for approximately 25
games this season for pregame, intermission and postgame analysis before
joining the broadcast team in a full-time capacity next season.

"Roby
epitomizes hockey in Buffalo, and he's treated the fans here to more than three
decades of his incredible knowledge and passion for the game," said Sabres
President Ted Black. "His
insight and humor will be missed on our broadcasts next season but he will
certainly be around our Sabres family for years to come. It will be special to
see Roby pass the torch to Brad, who brings a similar players' perspective to
his analysis, and have another great Sabres player behind the microphone."

"It's
never an easy decision to walk away from doing something that you love,"
Robitaille said. "Hockey and the Sabres have been a major part of my life for
the better part of 33 years, and I felt now was a good time for me to step
away. Many things factored into my decision, one being that the health effects
from my car accident a few years back have become more of a struggle to work
through. More importantly, however, is my desire to have more quality time to
spend with my family."

Robitaille
began his Sabres broadcasting career in 1980 when he was hired to be a color
commentator and analyst on Sabres radio broadcasts as well as TV telecasts.
Since then, he has served in various roles on broadcasts, providing commentary
and analysis for pregame, intermission and postgame reports on a variety of
programs for WGR, WGRZ-TV, Empire Sports Network and, currently, MSG. He also
served as a host for the original "Hockey
Hotline" show on Empire Sports Network in 1991 and was a panelist on "Sharpshooters," a sports talk show on
Empire Sports Network and WNSA radio.

"I've
been very blessed to have had the career I had in hockey and in broadcasting.
I've tried to give as much to the game of hockey as I have taken from it
through the years," Robitaille said. "It's not something I've done alone. I'll
be forever grateful to the people who helped me along the way, including
Chrisanne Bellas, Paul Weiland, the great Ted Darling and countless others. But
I think it's the fans that have had the biggest impact on my career. No matter
who I was working for through the years, whether it was on TV or the radio, I
always felt like I was working for the fans. Sabres fans make this a special
hockey town and my career wouldn't have been the same without their passion."

Prior
to his broadcasting career, Robitaille played defense in the NHL for nine
seasons, including four with the Sabres. He played in 382 career games,
amassing 128 points (23 goals, 105 assists) and 280 penalty minutes while
playing for the Sabres, Rangers, Red Wings and Canucks.

May,
also a former Sabres player, will begin his duties with the Sabres broadcast
team this season, joining the team for approximately 25 road games and some
home games. He comes to the Sabres from Rogers Sportsnet in Toronto, where he
has served as a hockey analyst for the past three years. May will continue to
work for Sportsnet this season.

"It's
very exciting to see my career come full circle," May said. "I was drafted by
the Sabres 23 years ago, and now I'll have the opportunity to come back to
Buffalo to start another chapter of my hockey life and my broadcasting career.
My goal is to bring my experiences as a player to the broadcasts and help fans
get another perspective on the game. I was honored to have been offered this
job and I'm happy to be back in Buffalo."

Drafted
14th overall by the Sabres in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, May played
seven seasons with Buffalo before being traded to Vancouver in 1998. Through 18
seasons in the NHL, May played in 1,041 games, recording 289 points (127/162)
and 2,248 penalty minutes. Beyond Buffalo and Vancouver, May played for the
Phoenix Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings,
and he won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2006-07.